Peshawar Travel Guide — Best Time, Things to Do & Where to Stay

Why Peshawar

Peshawar is the capital and largest city of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in northwestern Pakistan. Situated in the broad Valley of Peshawar to the east of the historic Khyber Pass, it serves as a major economic, political, and cultural hub for the region. With a population exceeding 1.9 million, it ranks as the eighth-most populous city in the country and stands as one of the oldest continuously inhabited urban centers in South Asia, with written records extending back to at least the sixth century BCE.

Throughout its extensive past, the city has been known by various names, including Purushapura, Begram, and Parashawar, before adopting its modern name during the reign of the Mughal Emperor Akbar. As the primary winter capital of the ancient Kushan Empire under Kanishka, it emerged as a prominent Buddhist center. The area was home to monumental structures such as the Kanishka Mahavihara monastery and a towering stupa, which attracted early Chinese travellers including Faxian and Xuanzang. Additionally, the Takht-i-Bahi monastery was established nearby during the Indo-Parthian period.

Peshawar's geographical position along key trade routes linking Central Asia and the Indian subcontinent made it a vital commercial center for successive powers. Following control by the Kabul and Hindu Shahis, the region came under Ghaznavid rule in 1001 CE. It later formed part of the Delhi Sultanate and the Mughal Empire. Under Mughal governance, the city's strategic Bala Hissar Fort was rebuilt, and architectural landmarks like the seventeenth-century Mohabbat Khan Mosque were constructed. It subsequently served as the winter capital for the Durrani Empire, where Afghan monarchs resided at the fort, before eventually transitioning through Sikh and British rule prior to joining Pakistan in 1947.

The cultural landscape of Peshawar reflects its long history as a crossroads of movement and commerce. Historically, the Hindko language served as the primary lingua franca, and native urban residents, known as Peshoris, maintain a presence within the old Walled City. In more recent decades, rapid urbanization, regional migration, and an influx of Afghan refugees have transformed Peshawar into a predominantly Pashto-speaking city.